file open and create

What if there was only File->Open and you got a file chooser (as now)
but with a tabbed interface (or buttons) to get to
Open File / Scan / Screenshot / Web page
maybe with a checkbox, "open as layers inside the active image" instead
of file->open as layers.

Goal: I'm sure I'm not alone in finding file->open and file->create
confusing, along with file->create->from webpage being different from
File->Open Location, both of which take a URI... it's a mess.

file open and create

IMHO a tabbed interface would be add to the confusion.
Open as Layers is a powerful and frequent user scenario.
Ctrl+O is something everyone is used to, and its easy to catch the
Ctrl+Alt+O behaviour.

I think Open Location could be moved to Create>From URI along with
Create>From Clipboard. Then we would have only 2 open dialogs, which is
quite clear.

Another thought could be moving the first half of File>Create [Clipboard,
Screenshot] etc somewhere else. Since these don't really 'create'
something, in contrast with the rest of File>Create [Buttons, logos, etc].

On Thu, May 31, 2012 at 8:34 AM, Liam R E Quin wrote:

What if there was only File->Open and you got a file chooser (as now)
but with a tabbed interface (or buttons) to get to
Open File / Scan / Screenshot / Web page
maybe with a checkbox, "open as layers inside the active image" instead
of file->open as layers.

Goal: I'm sure I'm not alone in finding file->open and file->create
confusing, along with file->create->from webpage being different from
File->Open Location, both of which take a URI... it's a mess.

Yes, I use it a lot. Not suggesting removing it, only moving it, as it's
really an option on file->open. Which should be file->import:
compromising the metaphor for ease of use indicates the metaphor isn't
right.

Ctrl+O is something everyone is used to, and its easy to catch the
Ctrl+Alt+O behaviour.

Actually I'd never noticed it had that shortcut. But it still could -
the only difference would be the state of the checkbox - without a
separate menu item.

I think Open Location could be moved to Create>From URI along with
Create>From Clipboard. Then we would have only 2 open dialogs, which is
quite clear.

So we'd have Create->From URI next to Create->From Webpage???

Another thought could be moving the first half of File>Create [Clipboard,
Screenshot] etc somewhere else. Since these don't really 'create'
something, in contrast with the rest of File>Create [Buttons, logos, etc].

I have under File->Createfrom clipboardfrom webpagescreenshotxsane device dialogxsane epkowa:usb:003:002xsane v4l:'dev'video0

Sometimes I get epson expression 1000 XL in there too.

In every other program scanning is under file->acquire, which is badly
named but at least predictable. But all I really care about is having
something predictable, where I can look at the menu and guess what
things do. Having file->open and fil->create is confusing and so is
having both open location and open webpage.

file open and create

But it still could -the only difference would be the state of the checkbox - without a
separate menu item.

You mean bringing up the open dialog with 'as layers' checked with a
different shortcut?It seems unorthodox, but maybe worth a try.

So we'd have Create->From URI next to Create->From Webpage???

I don't seem to have the Create>From Webpage. Its a plug-in?
File->Create makes sense for Buttons and Logos, but not for URI, clipboard,
screenshot, scan etc.Can these be united in one category for the menu?

But all I really care about is having

something predictable, where I can look at the menu and guess what
things do

I can relate to this. Perhaps you should use Tito ;)

On Thu, May 31, 2012 at 10:32 AM, Liam R E Quin wrote:

On Thu, 2012-05-31 at 10:01 +0530, Srihari Sriraman wrote:

IMHO a tabbed interface would be add to the confusion.

You're probably right, the idea is try to simplify.

Open as Layers is a powerful and frequent user scenario.

Yes, I use it a lot. Not suggesting removing it, only moving it, as it's
really an option on file->open. Which should be file->import:
compromising the metaphor for ease of use indicates the metaphor isn't
right.

Ctrl+O is something everyone is used to, and its easy to catch the
Ctrl+Alt+O behaviour.

Actually I'd never noticed it had that shortcut. But it still could -
the only difference would be the state of the checkbox - without a
separate menu item.

I think Open Location could be moved to Create>From URI along with
Create>From Clipboard. Then we would have only 2 open dialogs, which is
quite clear.

So we'd have Create->From URI next to Create->From Webpage???

Another thought could be moving the first half of File>Create [Clipboard,
Screenshot] etc somewhere else. Since these don't really 'create'
something, in contrast with the rest of File>Create [Buttons, logos,

etc].

I have under File->Create
from clipboardfrom webpagescreenshotxsane device dialogxsane epkowa:usb:003:002xsane v4l:'dev'video0

Sometimes I get epson expression 1000 XL in there too.

In every other program scanning is under file->acquire, which is badly
named but at least predictable. But all I really care about is having
something predictable, where I can look at the menu and guess what
things do. Having file->open and fil->create is confusing and so is
having both open location and open webpage.

For me, the problem is that "Create > Screenshot" and "Create > From
Clipboard" make no sense. It is not that "Create" doesn't express "New",
it's that "Create" expresses an action that is going to start with Nothing
and then Invent Something. "Paste" and "Scan" do not fit this role.

file open and create

What if there was only File->Open and you got a file chooser (as now)
but with a tabbed interface (or buttons) to get to
Open File / Scan / Screenshot / Web page

[snip]

Goal: I'm sure I'm not alone in finding file->open and file->create
confusing, along with file->create->from webpage being different from
File->Open Location, both of which take a URI... it's a mess.

There shouldn't be too much confusion. File->Open should be for opening a
file available locally to the computer (on the harddrive, memory stick, or
network drive). File->Create is usedh b to create a new image (by running a
plug-in) after setting some parameters.

What that leaves is things like creating images from a Screenshot, external
web page, camera, or scanner. These options are most commonly found in
programs under an File->Acquire menu entry.

file open and create

What that leaves is things like creating images from a Screenshot,
external web page, camera, or scanner.

This is an observation I think most of us have made.
Only the correct name for a sub-menu is under question IMHO.

Both *Acquire* and *Import *don't convey *New.*
I second *New From *as suggested by Gez.

With the removal of most create-scripts in 2.10 as Alexandre said,
*Create*need/may not exist anymore.

On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 8:38 PM, Kevin Cozens wrote:

On 12-05-30 11:04 PM, Liam R E Quin wrote:

What if there was only File->Open and you got a file chooser (as now)
but with a tabbed interface (or buttons) to get to
Open File / Scan / Screenshot / Web page

[snip]

Goal: I'm sure I'm not alone in finding file->open and file->create

confusing, along with file->create->from webpage being different from
File->Open Location, both of which take a URI... it's a mess.

There shouldn't be too much confusion. File->Open should be for opening a
file available locally to the computer (on the harddrive, memory stick, or
network drive). File->Create is usedh b to create a new image (by running a
plug-in) after setting some parameters.

What that leaves is things like creating images from a Screenshot,
external web page, camera, or scanner. These options are most commonly
found in programs under an File->Acquire menu entry.

file open and create

On 12-06-01 12:52 PM, Srihari Sriraman wrote:

Only the correct name for a sub-menu is under question IMHO.

Both *Acquire* and *Import *don't convey *New.*
I second *New From *as suggested by Gez.

GIMP could try and start a new trend but I think that most of its users
(even the ones that are casual users of GIMP) would recognize the Acquire
menu as it is used in other programs to get images from the external sources
I mentioned in a previous email.

With the removal of most create-scripts in 2.10 as Alexandre said,
*Create*need/may not exist anymore.

A lot of the scripts located under Create would not be missed by many. The
most useful "Create" entry (or the one people get pointed to often when
asked how to make scripts along a curve) Text Circle. Not sure where it
would wind up if there was no Create any more unless it was moved to a "New
From" menu with Screenshot and Scanner but it could make that sub-menu messy
unless the script based "New From" entries had a separator line before the
script based entries.